Confusing What is Real
by beautifulpurpleflame
Summary: After battling a telekinetic villain Raven starts hearing a strange voice in her head. The Titans have no idea what to do as they watch their friend plunge into paranoia and insanity. BBxRae
1. The Battle

Chapter 1

Beast Boy ran into the common room, a large grin on his face. He ran over to the same wall he ran to every morning. He stood up against it and ran a pencil across the wall where his head reached. He turned around and yelled, "Yes! That makes another inch." He went into a little victory dance and made his way over to the kitchen to get some breakfast. He had been measuring himself every morning for the past three months. The Titans poor wall was full of lines that gradually went higher and higher.

"Looks like your growing spurt isn't stopping anytime soon," said Robin with a smile.

"I hope not," said Beast Boy in a serious voice. "I'm still an inch shy of you."

"Hey, at least you're not the shortest anymore," said Cyborg sitting down with his plate of breakfast food for himself and the others. "You should be thankful for that at least."

"I never said I wasn't," said Beast Boy with a smile.

Starfire entered with Silkie in her arms. "A morning of goodness I wish to you friends," she said sitting down at the table.

"Starfire, you know the rules," said Robin. "No larva at the table."

Starfire sighed and sadly placed Silkie on the floor. She made herself a plate of food and began to eat. She slyly started to slip some of it under the table for Silkie.

"Star," said Robin, knowing what she was doing. Starfire nervously smiled and pretended not to be doing anything. But as soon as Robin looked away she slipped Silkie a whole plate of food.

Raven entered and floated her way to the kitchen. Her hood was up and the little face that they could see of her was flat line. She started to fix herself a cup of tea around the working Beast Boy.

"Morning Raven," said Robin with a smile.

"Morning," she said in a tired, gravely voice. Once her tea was done she sat down with the others and actually made herself a plate of food. She sipped her tea and ate her breakfast quietly.

"It's nice to see you eating breakfast for once," said Cyborg.

"I didn't eat dinner last night," she said dryly and continued eating.

"Starfire!" said Robin seeing her trying to sneak a second plate of food to Silkie. She was surprised and dropped the plate. "No feeding Silkie scraps."

"I am not feeding Silkie the scraps," said Starfire innocently. Then she leaned over to Cyborg. "Please, what are the 'scraps'?"

"Starfire, don't feed Silkie any food from the table," said Robin a little more clear.

"But he enjoys it," said Starfire picking him up and hugging him. Robin gave her a look and she sighed and placed Silkie back down. He hated telling Starfire what to do, but the rules applied to all the Titans, no exceptions. Starfire was a little naïve, but that didn't give her an excuse to disobey the tower rules.

"Dudes, you know what I want to do today?" said Beast Boy shoveling his tofu breakfast into his mouth. "I really want to…"

Just then the alarm went off and their calm and quiet morning was ruined. "Trouble," said the predictable Robin. They all jumped up from the table and headed off.

They reached the middle of the city and found an interesting figure waiting for them. It was a tall, slender man making his way from ATM to ATM. He was in a long, black robe that hung straight off of him. His face was covered with a black face mask with yellow eyes. His hair was slicked back, black. All that was really showing was his small mouth. He would simply lift his hand and the money would just spew out of the machine and fly underneath his robe. He made his way to the next one when he was stopped by a green glowing orb that landed right in front of him. He turned and saw the five Teen Titans staring at him.

"Okay pal," said Robin. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Well I wouldn't want to disappoint you," said the man with a smile. "So I shall choose the hard way."

"Big surprise," said Raven.

"Titans, go!" yelled Robin and the group attacked. The man merely smiled with his small mouth and raised his hand. Before the Titans could get five feet near him they were all stopped by an invisible barrier. Starfire began shooting starbolts at him, but they could not reach him. None of Cyborg's laser canons could penetrate either. Beast Boy turned into a T-rex and rammed himself into it, but he only hit his head, he didn't make any progress. Robin threw every explosive thing he had on his belt.

"What the heck?" screamed Cyborg. "Nothin can touch this guy."

"Let me try," said Raven and she flew over to him and steadied her self. "Azarath metrion zinthos!" She released a blast of black energy at the man. It hit the barrier, but did not break it.

The man smiled and called out, "What? Is that all you've got?"

"No, I'm just getting started," said Raven. "Azarath metrion zinthos!" She sent another, stronger, blast at him and this time she broke through. The man got hit and was sent backwards.

"Good job, Raven," called Robin. "Titans take him down!"

Once again they all went after the man. But now he looked angry and when he raised his hand he blasted his own powers at them, throwing them all backwards. Raven blocked him with her own shield and then attempted to attack him. While Raven went after the man, the other Titans crawled up from the ground.

"Dude, who is this guy?" asked Beast Boy.

"He is most strong with his powers," said Starfire.

"Yeah, man, how the heck are we gonna take this guy down?" asked Cyborg.

"I have the feeling that Raven's taking it into her own hands," said Robin pointing.

The two were shooting shields and energy blasts at each other as fast as they could. No one had ever seen such a battle. They sent anything they could find flying at each other; cars, lamp posts, parking meters, anything.

"Tired yet?" asked the man with an evil smile.

"Not even close," said Raven chucking a truck at him. He ducked out of the way and the battle continued. The other Titans made sure to watch from a safe distance. Then they both willed up all of their powers and at the same time shot at the other. When the two energies collided there was a great explosion that sent everything flying. Raven was thrown to the ground, knocking her out for a moment.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. There was smoke all around her, but she saw a figure walking through it. The man emerged and stood above her. Before she could move an inch he raised his hand and sent a blast of energy into her head.

"I don't think we'll be meeting again," he said, smirking evilly. Raven screamed with pain and then it all went black again.

The Titans had seen the two be thrown back from the explosion. They waited for the smoke to clear to look for Raven. They found her on the ground, unconscious. "Raven!" they all yelled and ran to her. Slowly she came to and saw her four friends around her.

"Are you okay?" asked Cyborg.

"Yeah, I think so," said Raven, slowly sitting up and rubbing her head. "Where did he go?"

"I believe he has gotten away," said Starfire.

Raven slowly got to her feet and rubbed all of her nicks and bruises. She felt a little dizzy, but other than that she believed she was okay.

"Don't worry, we'll find him," said Robin.


	2. A Voice

Chapter 2

Raven sat in her room meditating. They had been looking for that strange man all day, but hadn't found a trace of him. It turned out that he called himself 'Mind Mover' and had been making his way around the country, hitting every ATM machine he could find. They couldn't find much of a background on him. Raven had tried to find her with her powers, but didn't have any luck. Actually, the truth was that she couldn't concentrate long enough to focus in on him.

She had been meditating in her room for hours, but seemed to be getting nowhere. She finally gave up and floated back down onto her bed. She rubbed her temples, trying to calm her mind down. Suddenly there came a knock.

"Yes?" asked Raven in a tired voice.

"It's Beast Boy, I was wondering if you were okay."

"I think so. I'm just having a little trouble meditating, that's all."

"Well if you need anything just ask."

"Just make sure everyone leaves me alone for the night and I'll be all set," said Raven lying back on her bed.

"Okay," said Beast Boy and then went off to find the other Titans.

"Is she alright?" asked Robin as Beast Boy entered.

"She says she is, but who knows," said Beast Boy taking a seat at the table. "She just wants us to leave her alone."

"I believe that is all she ever wants from us," said Starfire.

"She also said that she's having trouble meditating," said Beast Boy.

"She got hit pretty hard today," said Cyborg. "I'd have trouble getting my mind back together too."

"Well let's just leave her be and see if we can help her tomorrow," said Robin.

Raven laid in bed and tried to fall asleep. She had been through a lot that day and decided that sleep might be just the thing to clear her mind. But she just couldn't seem to reach sleep.

'_No one likes you.'_

Raven opened her eyes and looked around. 'Where did that come from?' she thought. She waited a few moments and then closed her eyes.

'_You_ _can't_ _trust_ _anyone_._'_

This time she sat up and looked around. "Hello?" she asked the darkness. Nothing. There was no one in her room. 'What's the matter with you? Go to sleep!' she ordered herself. She lay back down and closed her eyes once more.

'_All you've ever done is lie about yourself. Everyone is afraid of you, that's why they pretend to like you. You let yourself be tricked. You're so easy to fool. Demon… demon… DEMON!'_

Raven couldn't take it; she quickly sat up and got out of her bed. She turned her light on and looked around. "This isn't funny," she announced. "Who's in here?" She waited for a response, but none came. She held her face in her hands and sighed. "What the heck is going on here?" she asked herself aloud. She decided to get a cup of tea; she knew she wasn't going to sleep any time soon.

She entered the common room and saw that no one was there. All gone to bed, she supposed. She grabbed her tea kettle and started boiling some water. While she waited she sat at the table and rested her forehead in her palms. She was thankful for the silence around her.

'_They're watching you.'  
_Raven lifted her head and looked around.

"Are you okay?" She quickly looked behind her and saw Beast Boy standing in the doorway of the common room. She had jumped when she heard his voice, but was relieved to see him. She sighed and started to run her forehead with her left hand as if it would help her nerves. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," she said with a sigh. "You didn't scare me."

"Looked like it by the way you jumped," said Beast Boy getting himself a glass of water.

"I was just thinking," said Raven, trying to sound like her normal, unhappy self. "You startled me."

"Well, again, sorry. I'll leave you alone," he said and then headed back towards his room.

'_You're a frightened little girl.'_

"Did you hear that!" asked Raven quickly turning around. Beast Boy stopped quickly, almost dropping his cup.

"Hear what?" he asked.

"You didn't just hear someone speak?"

"No, just you asking me if I had heard anything," said Beast Boy turning around completely. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I thought I was," said Raven confused. "I could have sworn I heard someone talking."

"Maybe you're just tired," said Beast Boy walking back over.

"I don't know," she said running her fingers through her hair. "Even if I am, I can't seem to fall asleep."

"Welcome to the club," said Beast Boy sitting down across from her. "I usually don't fall asleep until two or three in the morning. That's why I sleep in so late."

"Does anything help you fall asleep?"

"Not really, just boredom. Hmm, I wonder if that's why you're usually in bed so early," he said with a smile. She wasn't amused.

"Don't make fun of me for having a normal sleeping pattern," she growled.

"I'm not making fun of you," he said quickly. "I guess you still don't understand my jokes."

"And I never will." Raven crossed her arms on the table and buried her head in them.

'_Of course he's making fun of you.'_

"Where the heck did that come from?" she screamed as she lifted her head. Beast Boy nearly fell out of his chair.

"What? What is it?" he asked.

"Beast Boy is this one of your sick jokes?" she practically shouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Beast Boy. "But I'm not playing any jokes on you."

"Well someone is," she said standing up. "I keep hearing someone saying horrible things to me."

"Raven, I really think you're just tired," said Beast Boy trying to calm her down. "You had a rough day today and you need to rest."

"How can I rest when someone is constantly talking to me?" she asked. She started looking around the room for someone who could have been hiding. "I know someone's playing a joke on me and when I find them…" she trailed off as she turned the room upside down.

Beast Boy watched as Raven flipped the table over and then the couch with her powers. She opened every cupboard and ran around the room looking in every dark corner. He had never seen her act this way before. Finally he ran after her to stop her before she destroyed the common room.

"Raven, I promise you, no one is playing a joke on you," he said grabbing her by the arms and making her stop. "You're just tired."

She had started hyperventilating and looking all around her. Then she looked at Beast Boys worried face and started to calm down. "I… I'm sorry," she said, looking slightly confused. "I don't know what came over me."

"Come on, I'll take you back to your room," he said with a kind smile.

He walked her to her room and got her into bed. He even did a search of her room to prove to her that no one was fooling around with her. Then he said goodnight and left. She lied in bed for a while, refusing to close her eyes got longer than a blink. Slowly her tiredness did catch up with her and she drifted off into sleep.


	3. Go Away!

Chapter 3

"She really thought that someone was playing a trick on her?" asked Robin. The four Titans were sitting at the table eating breakfast the next morning. Beast Boy was telling them about how strangely Raven had been acting the previous night.

"I was wondering why the couch was upside down," said Cyborg.

"She was really freaked out," said Beast Boy.

"Perhaps she is ill," said Starfire.

"I think she was just tired," said Beast Boy. "Once she went back to bed I didn't hear a peep from her."

Just then they could hear the sound of the door leading into the common room swoosh open. There stood a very groggy Raven, rubbing her eyes of sleep. The other Titans smiled as she walked in, but she barely noticed.

"Hey Raven," said Robin. "You sleep okay?"

Raven gave him a so-so gesture and sat down at the table. She still looked very tired and she flopped her head down on the table. This was certainly not a normal Raven move, so the others knew that something was wrong.

"We heard you had some trouble falling asleep last night," said Cyborg.

"You have no idea," said Raven through the table.

"Please, Raven, tell us, are you ill?" asked Starfire.

"I don't know," said Raven lifting her head. "I could have sworn that I kept hearing someone talking to me last night. Saying awful, horrible, mean things."

"That's strange," said Robin. "Did it sound like anyone we would know?"

"That's the weird thing," said Raven fully sitting up. "It doesn't sound like a person. It sounds like… like… like a voice. As if it doesn't belong to a person at all. Like it's just a floating voice. God, I sound nuts." She collapsed back onto the table and covered her head.

"Maybe you should have Cyborg run a few tests on you," said Beast Boy putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I could scan you over to see if there's something odd in your system," said Cyborg.

"No," said Raven cocking her head to the side so that she could see Cyborg. "Not yet, at least. I mean, it could be what Beast Boy said, I was just over tired. But if it starts up again I'll let you do whatever tests you need to do."

"Okay, it's _your_ mind and body," said Cyborg.

Raven nodded and then put her face flat on the table. She felt so tired and drained. The night before had been so crazy that it seemed more like a dream. Or a nightmare.

'_They think you're weak.'_

Raven quickly sat up and looked around. This took the other four by surprise and they jumped backwards in their chairs. She refused to believe she had heard it again. She really didn't want any tests done on her. That wasn't exactly her style.

"Are you okay?" asked Robin.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Raven lied. "Just fell asleep for a moment. I think…um… I'm going to go to my room for a little while." With that she stood up and headed back to her room. The others waited until she left to talk.

"What the heck was that all about?" asked Cyborg.

"Dude! She acted the same way last night before she asked me if I had heard someone talk," said Beast Boy.

"Do you suppose she has heard the voice again?" asked Starfire.

"I'm not sure," said Robin. "But if she gets as scared as Beast Boy said she was last night then she'll tell us. At least, I hope."

Raven was determined to meditate and calm her mind down. She was not going to be freaked out by some stupid voice saying mean things to her. She levitated above her bed and began to chant. "Azarath… metrion…zinthos…Azarath… metrion… zinthos…" She felt everything around her melt away as she found her center. Finally all that was hectic in her head was quieting down. Slowly she could feel herself being reenergized as her meditation deepened.

'_They don't trust you.'_

Raven disregarded that statement. Just a memory of an old insult, nothing more.

'_You can't trust them.'_

"I'm not listening."

'_They see right through your charade.'_

"These are just nerves talking."

'_They're watching you right now.'_

"Shut up."

'_You know it's true.'_

"Shut up."

'_They'll turn on you, just like everyone else.'_

"Shut up!" Raven came out of her meditation and fell onto her bed. She was panting and could feel her heart racing. Sweat dripped down her face and she could tell that she had been clenching her teeth from her sore jaw. "Maybe it's this room or the tower. Fresh air. Fresh air will clear my mind." She got off of her bed and left her room.

She made it to the roof and breathed in the fresh air. It was an alright day, cloudy, but not so much that it was dark and gloomy out. She sat down and let the clean air cleanse her being. She already felt better.

'_No one's ever been truthful to you.'_

She looked around, just to make sure that there was no one up there with her. "This is ridiculous!" she shouted at herself. "There is no one around. There is no one talking to me."

'_No one loves you.'_

"Ah!" she screamed in frustration. "Maybe it's the whole tower. I've got to get away from it." She proceeded to fly off, but decided that she should at least let her friends know.

She found them hanging around in the common room, each doing their own thing. "I'm going out for a little while," she announced. "Just thought I should let you guys know incase you were wondering where I was."

They all said, "Okay," and Raven left. She flew over the city, looking down at all the people moving about in their daily lives. She saw the cars dancing in a traffic tango that was in a way beautiful, when you were hundreds of feet above it of course.

'_They're talking behind your back.'_

"Okay, maybe walking will help," she said to herself and landed. She was just outside of the city. She started to slowly walk at a normal pace, hoping that this would finally cleanse her mind.

'_You're evil and you know it.'_

"Shut up already! Where the heck is this coming from?"

'_You're dark and creepy and no one will ever love you, you demon.'_

"That's not true. I'm not a demon, I'm not creepy, and I'm only dark because I have to be."

'_You can't deny your evil soul.'_

"I'm not denying anything. Wait a second? Who the heck am I talking to?"

'_You are a witch and will never do anything good.'_

"Stop it! Stop saying these things."

Five hours had passed and Raven was still not back yet. It was dusk and starting to rain and the Titans were starting to grow worried. Actually, they had passed started and were full on worried sick.

"She's never been gone this long without checking in with us," said Robin pacing back and forth.

"Man, I don't think she's ever left the tower alone for more than a half an hour," said Cyborg trying to find her locator. "What really worries me is that her locator isn't responding."

"Oh, I wish to know where our friend is, please," said Starfire entering the room. She had been trying to keep herself busy, but now she was too upset.

"We all do, Star," said Beast Boy. "Shouldn't we start looking for her?"

"We don't know where to look," said Cyborg.

"Beast Boy's right," said Robin. "We'll each split up and start looking. She has to be somewhere in the…"

"Wait!" said Cyborg interrupting him. There was a small red dot on the screen. "I found her; or her locator at least."

"Then let's move out," said Robin. "Where is she?"

"In the woods right outside the city," said Cyborg.

The Titans quickly arrived at the forest that lied right outside the city. It was starting to pour and they knew they knew that Raven would never normally be in the woods while it was raining. Cyborg checked to make sure her locator was still there and that it hadn't moved. They headed in and started to look around. Cyborg led them right to her locator, but not to Raven. It was lying on the ground, along with her cloak.

"What the heck? Something is definitely wrong here," said Robin.

"But where is Raven?" asked Starfire frantically. "Should she not be with her locator?"

"And why isn't she wearing her cloak?" asked Beast Boy picking it up the discarded cloak. "I mean, it's raining!"

"Well I don't know how we're going to find her now," said a frustrated Cyborg. "I can't find her if she's not wearin her locator. Not to mention it's dark out and it's pourin."

"But we must find her," said Starfire.

"Don't worry Star," said Robin. "We're not leaving without her." He sighed. "I just don't know how we're going to find her."

"I'll find her," said Beast Boy. "I'll track her down with my nose. Just stay here, I'll call you when I find her." He turned into a bloodhound, sniffed her cloak, and then the air. He waited and then caught the same faint scent. He howled and began to run after it.

The rain fell in sheets and now the wind was blowing as well. It was so dark that any normal person would not be able to walk three feet without stumbling into a tree. Beast Boy kept right on the scent until finally he heard something. He stopped and listened closely. Someone was near him, walking around and talking. He changed back to normal and looked around. All of his senses were heightened because of his abilities, and he looked around and listened with his elf ears. Then he saw something moving near him.

"Raven?" he called out. The figure didn't seem to notice him; they just stumbled around in the rain, bumping into trees, tripping over their feet and all the debris on the ground. Beast Boy wasn't sure if this was Raven or not, but he knew that no normal person would be walking around the woods in a rain storm.

"… so what if they don't spend any time with me, I like it that way. They're not avoiding me they're giving me my space. I like my space. Space is good. I can think when they're not around. I don't care if no one likes me. I don't care if no one loves me. I'm not supposed to feel those kinds of things. They're not talking about me when I'm not around. That's a stupid thing to think. Then why am I thinking it? Am I thinking it or are you thinking it? Who are you! Where am I now? I don't care! No, I'm not a demon, I'm not evil. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!"

She was talking a mile a minute and seemed scared to death. Beast Boy knew it was Raven by her voice, but he had never seen her like this. She looked manic and confused. He approached her as she kept on ranting and raving and got a good look at her. She was in only her leotard and it was ripped. She was soaking wet and it looked as if she had fallen into mud a few times. She kept spinning around as if she was being stalked.

"Raven?" he asked calmly, interrupting her. She turned quickly and the look in her eyes scared Beast Boy. She looked at him as if she had never seen him before in her life. She also looked as if she had been crying, even though it was hard to see the tears through the rain. As he approached her she started to walk backwards, and she kept talking.

"I'm not evil! I swear I'm not. I don't want to be. Everyone keeps looking at me. They keep judging me because of the way I appear on the outside. I don't want to be hated anymore. Why is everyone so afraid of me?" She tripped over a branch that was on the ground and fell into the mud. Beast Boy went to help her, but she only backed away from him. He stopped and watched as she started to rock back and forth in the mud. He bent down so that he was eye lever with her. "I'm a horrible person. I don't deserve to be trusted. I don't deserve to even be alive. They all know it. They just want to make me feel bad. Why would they do that? Why do they stare at me?"

"Raven calm down," said Beast Boy slowly. She looked up at him and they finally made eye contact. She was hysterically crying and shaking all over. "It's me, Beast Boy." He dared to move a little closer. "It's okay. You're going to be alright."

"They talk about me behind my back," she said looking him straight in the eye. "They do! They say horrible things about me and they think I don't know." She leaned in closer to him and said in a hiss, "I know."

"Who say these horrible things about you, Raven?" asked Beast Boy.

"The Teen Titans," she whispered. She looked dead serious and she also looked scared. Beast Boy didn't know what was going on, but he knew that this wasn't good.

He reached for his communicator and turned it on, "Guys, I found her." He quickly shut it and put it back on his belt. He then lent out his hand to her. "Raven, you need to come with me now."

"They don't trust me and I don't trust them," said Raven, her whole body shaking.

"Raven, you're not thinking straight," said Beast Boy, trying to reason with her.

"They're just using me! I know it. And once they're done with me they're going to kick me out. Just like everyone else has done when they've gotten what they want from me. I can't let them do this anymore. I can't let anyone trick me and use me anymore. I can't!" she screamed.

Beast Boy grabbed her face and looked her straight in the eyes. "Raven this is Beast Boy talking to you! You have to calm down. No one's saying anything bad about you. No one is tricking you. I promise."

She stared at him, her eyes wide. Then she started to blink, as if snapping out of it. She looked around her and saw where she was. She felt the cold rain pouring onto her drenched body. She could feel that she was just in a ripped leotard. She looked back at Beast Boy and completely broke down. She started to cry hysterically and fell into Beast Boys arms. He held her as close to him as he could. She was shaking horribly and she clung to him. He held her small, cold, wet frame and waited for the others to arrive.

The three other Titans found Beast Boy with Raven cradled in his arms. Beast Boy just looked up at them, he couldn't think of any words to say. He wasn't even sure what was going on. None of them were. Especially not Raven.


	4. Keep Me Safe

Chapter 4

They got her to the med bay as quickly as they could. She had passed out in Beast Boy's arms, but was still shaking. Cyborg hooked her up to all the monitors and started going over her vital signs. Her heart rate had slowed down and she seemed to be breathing normally, but her brain activity was going off the chart. They were glad she was out; with all that was going on she could have destroyed the tower with her powers. Beast Boy hadn't noticed if her powers had been going wild in the woods, but he didn't doubt it.

"So what the heck was she saying when you found her?" asked Robin. They hadn't actually gotten a chance to talk, but now that Raven was safe and secure they could.

"She was going on and on about how everyone is against her and lying to her," said Beast Boy drying off with a towel. "But at first she was screaming that she wasn't evil. Then she suddenly starts saying that we're just using her and that we don't care about her."

"Did she try to attack you or anything?" asked Cyborg.

"No, that's the thing," continued Beast Boy. "She acted as if she didn't even know me. She just kept saying that it was the Teen Titans, she never actually recognized me as Beast Boy."

"I have washed friend Raven and placed her in a clean nightgown that I have found," said Starfire entering.

"Is she awake yet?" asked Robin.

"I am afraid not," said Starfire.

"I'm not sure we want her to wake up," said Beast Boy. "She was acting completely mental out there. I don't know if she'll be herself when she wakes up."

"Well, if she freaks out I have a tranquilizer ready for her," said Cyborg. "It'll keep her calm and it might actually allow us to talk to her and figure out what's going on."

"From what Beast Boy's telling us it sounds like she's schizophrenic," said Robin.

"Please, what does 'schizophrenic' mean?" asked Starfire.

"It means that she's hearing voices inside of her head," said Robin. "Telling her what to do and trying to manipulate her. The question is, why would this happen so suddenly?"

"Maybe it didn't," said Cyborg. "Maybe this has been going on for a while and she just hasn't been tellin us. I mean, BB and I know about all the emotions inside of her head. Maybe everythin's just getting out of control and she can't stop them from talkin to her."

They all looked into the room that held the unconscious Raven. She looked to be simply asleep, like she was dreaming peacefully. The monitors told a different story. Starfire had put her in a black nightgown and covered her with a white blanket. Raven had never looked so pale, and that was saying something.

"Someone should stay with her tonight," said Robin. "Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it," said Beast Boy.

"You sure, man?" asked Cyborg.

"Yeah, I'm the last person she saw," said Beast Boy. "She may still not remember me, but she may remember one of you. I just think it'll be safer."

"Okay, wake us up if she comes to," said Robin. With that the other three Titans headed off to bed.

Beasts Boy pulled a chair up next to Ravens bed and sat down. He watched her breathe softly, her chest falling and rising like waves in an ocean. Her cheeks were still pink from the cold of the rain and when he touched her hand it was still cold. Her violet hair lay around her pillow in messy knots. Beast Boy had never seen her hair not pin straight. In truth, he had never seen her so fragile, so vulnerable.

The room was quiet but for the sound of the monitors beeping. Beast Boy never liked it when the tower was so quiet. Not even at night. Silence scared him, which might have been the reason he never seemed to stop talking. It wasn't that he had a lot to say, he just didn't want it to grow quiet.

Suddenly Raven began to groan and stir. Beast Boy sat up and moved the chair a little closer to the bed. Raven slowly came around and opened her eyes. She looked around and then caught sight of Beast Boy sitting beside her.

"Beast Boy?" she asked in a soft voice. "What happened?"

"You remember me?" he asked moving closer still.

"Yes," she said in a very hoarse voice. "Where am I?"

"In the med bay," he said. "We found you wandering around the woods outside of the city. You really scared us. Don't you remember?"

"I think so," said Raven, trying to sit up. She grabbed her head and winced. "My head is killing me. Why the heck was I in the woods?" She asked this more to herself than to Beast Boy. She thought for a moment and suddenly it all came flooding back to her. "I was… I was trying to get away from that voice. It felt like it was right on top of me; that I couldn't get away from it. But then it stopped being just a voice. I could feel it consuming me. I entered the woods because I thought it would help clear my mind. But everything from then on is a blur." She closed her eyes and placed her face in her palms. "What's wrong with me?"

"I don't know," said Beast Boy. "You were acting pretty nuts out there. You didn't even recognize me."

"No, I did," said Raven putting her hands down. "I just… I just couldn't tell myself that I did. I don't know how to explain it. It was like having amnesia or something. I knew who you were, but at the same time I didn't. Oh, I don't know what's going on." She sighed and lay back on her pillow.

'_He thinks you're insane. They all do.'_

She sat up and screamed, "No! Not again! Go away!" Then she began to cry.

"Raven, what is it?" asked Beast Boy frantically.

"That stupid voice, it's back. It won't leave me alone!" She tucked her knees up under her chin and cried into them. Everything in the med bay began to shake and cover with a black aura. "I don't want to hear it anymore," she wept.

Beast Boy wasn't sure what to do. So he did what his natural instincts told him to do. He reached out and brought her into a hug. Amazingly, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back, tightly.

"Please make it go away," she cried into his chest.

"I promise I will," he said back to her. He had no idea why he said it. Perhaps he just wanted to make her feel better. He didn't want her to be scared anymore. He didn't like to think of Raven as insecure and weak. She was the one person he thought would never break. But here she was; a shadow of her former self. Scared to death and desperate for help. "I'm going to tell the others that you're awake," he said releasing his hug. She only held onto him tighter.

"No, please don't leave me alone," she said looking up at him. Her eyes were glistening with tears and she was beginning to shake again.

"Okay," he said quietly and held her tightly again. "I won't leave you alone."

"Thank you," she said between sobs. "It's just… I don't want it to happen again. I don't want it to trick me. I'm so sick of being tricked." She could barely form the last words through her sobs.

"I will never trick you," he said in a soft and comforting voice. "Never." She held him tighter than ever and even pulled him up into the bed with her. She was so tired and scared. She didn't want to hear that horrid voice again. She wanted to be protected and she really didn't care who would do it. It never even crossed her mind that this was Beast Boy holding her and lying with her. He was someone strong and someone she knew would never lie to her. And that was all she wanted.

The next morning the other three Titans went to check in on Beast Boy and Raven. They figured she was still passed out and that Beast Boy must have been asleep in the chair. What they found, however, was somewhat different. Raven was passed out and Beast Boy was asleep, but they were holding each other in Ravens bed.

"Should we…" started Starfire in a loud voice, but Robin quickly placed his hand over her mouth. Slowly the three backed out and left the two alone.

"Oh God, I hope she woke up at some point," said Cyborg fearing the worst.

"Cyborg, I doubt he just crawled into the bed with her while she was still passed out," said Robin. "I'm sure Raven must have woken up and needed comforting."

"Then she is well, perhaps?" asked Starfire a little hopeful.

"I doubt it," said Cyborg. "But we'll find all of that out today. Let's just let the two sleep in."

"And we're not going to say anything about them sleeping together in each others arms," said Robin.

Cyborg gave a little disappointed groan. "Awe, why not? Do you know how good this is? I can hold this over the two of them for months."

"Raven is obviously not well and the last thing she needs is you blackmailing her," said Robin. "And Beast Boy is just trying to help her, I'm sure, and it would be very unfriendly of you to use this situation for your own benefit." Cyborg sighed and knew that Robin was right, but he hated giving up such a juicy bit of blackmail. "Like I said, we're just going to leave them be and forget about it."

Beast Boy slowly opened his eyes. He wasn't sure where he was for a moment, until he felt someone in his arms. He looked down and saw Raven fast asleep, cuddled up to his chest. He knew he should feel awkward, that this was very wrong that he should get out of there. But something told him to stay. Raven was one of his best friends; he had to make her feel safe.

He laid there for a while, not knowing what else to do. He didn't want to wake her up. He never noticed how small she really was. Now that he was growing taller by the day he could see that she really was petite. He couldn't help smelling her lilac hair that rested just under his nose. This was the scent that he had picked up on the night before in the woods. It was the scent that led him to her. If it wasn't for this smell, they might not have found her in time.

Raven stirred and slowly woke up. She found herself being cradled in someone's strong, soft arms. She pushed away for a second to see who it was. She was mildly surprised to see Beast Boy staring down at her. He gave a small smile and said, "How do you feel?"

She looked around a little more and let the memories of the night before creep back into her mind. "Alright, I guess." She sat up and Beast Boy quickly got up and out of the bed. Now that she was awake he knew that she wouldn't want him being so close to her.

"Did you sleep alright?" he asked adjusting his clothes that had become twisted during the night.

"Yes, actually," said Raven surprised. She looked at him and gave a small smile. It was then that she realized that she was in a nightgown. She grabbed the blankets embarrassed and pulled them up to cover her. "Listen, um, about last night…"

"I know," said Beast Boy with a smile. "You were just upset. It's okay, I won't say anything."

She had never expected him to catch on so quickly. Now she was really surprised. "Uh, thanks. I hope you know that I won't forget this, so I owe you one."

"Come on Raven," he said with a small laugh. "You're my friend and you're sick. You don't owe me anything." Then he thought for a moment. "Well… maybe one round of video games." He grinned and this actually made Raven smile a sarcastic smile. She was so happy he hadn't turned their little night together into anything more.


	5. What's Going on in There?

Chapter 5

The three other Titans entered and found that Beast Boy and Raven were awake. Robin kept an eye on Cyborg to make sure he didn't say anything that would let the two know that they had seen them asleep in each others arms. Luckily, he didn't. They all got right to work on figuring out what was going on with Raven.

"So how long have you been hearing this voice?" asked Robin.

"I first started hearing it after we fought Mind Mover," said Raven. "I was just lying in bed, trying to go to sleep, when I heard it say something mean to me."

"Can you remember what it said exactly?" asked Cyborg.

"No," said Raven. "It's said so many things at this point I can't remember."

"And you're sure it only started two days ago?" asked Robin.

"I'm positive," said Raven. "Why do you ask?"

"Well my theory was that you may have schizophrenia," said Robin scratching his head. "But I've never heard of it getting this extreme over a period of two days. It must be something else."

"Perhaps there is a little person stuck in your brain," said Starfire. The others just looked at her queerly. "Do you not remember when Larry came and entered our dimension through Robins head? Perhaps it is happening again."

"I doubt it Star," said Robin. She looked down sadly. "But nice theory." She looked up and smiled.

"I have an idea," said Cyborg. "I can monitor Raven's brain waves while she hears the voice. Maybe I can pinpoint where in her brain this is coming from."

"It's worth a shot," said Robin. "How do you feel about it, Raven?"

"I'm up for anything that might stop it," said Raven. "I really don't want to freak out like I did yesterday."

Raven laid down in the bed and Cyborg attached many small sensors to her head. The other Titans left so that Raven wouldn't feel as if everyone was watching her.

"Are you comfortable?" asked Cyborg.

"I guess," said Raven. "So what do I do?"

"Just lie there and relax," said Cyborg. "When you hear the voice, push this button. It'll let me know and I'll pin point the moment in your brain."

Raven held a small control in her hand that had a single button. She held her thumb on it and waited. All around her were the sounds of monitors beeping and Cyborg occasionally typing something on the computer. She felt a little weird just lying there with Cyborg watching her brain. But she needed to find out what was going on. She concentrated and her mind began to calm down and relax.

'_They think you're insane.'_

Raven pushed the button as hard as she could. Cyborg saw a little light bulb turn on for a moment and he knew that she had heard the voice. Raven felt nervous for a moment, but she knew that Cyborg was there to help her. He wouldn't let this voice harm her. A few minutes passed so she took a big breath in and concentrated on staying calm.

'_They're going to commit you.'_

Cyborg saw the light bulb light up again. He also so Ravens heart rate speed up a little. A minute passed and Raven was calm again. She started to feel hopeful. Every time the voice spoke to her she was getting closer to getting rid of it.

'_They'll leave you in an asylum and never come back.'_

Raven pushed the button.

'_You're going to be put in a straight jacket and tethered to the wall.'_

Raven pushed the button.

'_You are worthless. You are an evil witch that will never do any good in this world. Your mother feared you and your father used you. You bring nothing but terror and hatred with you. The world will be a safer place once you're gone. All the suffering you subject the people around you to will be gone. So end it. End it now!'_

Cyborg saw the light turn on and off several times. Ravens heart was racing and all the monitors began jumping around. Cyborg peered around the corner and saw Raven pushing the button as many times as she could.

'_You're life was supposed to be over a year ago. You know it. They know it. You almost ended the world. You almost killed everyone. You are weak. Your existence is meaningless. They all hate and despise you. You are not worthy of love. You do not deserve love. The world would be better off without you."_

Raven held the button down so hard that the controller broke in her hand. All of Cyborgs scanners were going nuts and he knew that something was wrong. He looked over at her and saw her hyperventilating and moaning. She dropped the broken remote and grabbed the bed. She shook her head back and forth, trying to get rid of this voice.

'_You can't trust anyone but yourself. You can't count on anyone but yourself. They keep everything from you. They know things that you don't, and they'll never tell you. You aren't worth informing. You have no purpose! End it now! End it now!'_

"NO!" screamed Raven. Everything in the room became enveloped in a black aura and exploded. Cyborg dove under the computer desk as he heard everything around him shatter and break.

"Guys! Get in here!" screamed Cyborg. Within a few second the other three Titans entered and took for cover as well. Everything was spinning around the room like a tornado. Raven was tossing around in the bed as if she was having a seizer.

"What do we do?" asked Starfire.

"I don't know," said Robin above the chaos.

Beast Boy turned into a fly and flew through the flying debris. Once he reached Ravens bed he turned back to normal and landed right on top of her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pinned her down. "Raven open your eyes!" he yelled. She was still twitched around so he grabbed her face. "Raven snap out of it!"

'_All lies. They do nothing by lie to you.'_

Raven could hear a faint voice behind the wicked one. "Raven wake up!"

'_They will hurt you like everyone else.'_

"Raven don't listen to the voice!"

'_They don't care about you.'_

"I know you can hear me Raven!"

'_They'll be happier when you're gone.'_

"Ignore it! It's lying to you! Come back to us! Open your eyes, Raven. Please!"

Raven pried her eyes open and gasped. The voice shut up and now she could see Beast Boy. He was right on top of her, her face in his hands. She was shaking and panting. She put her hands on his and closed her eyes. Then she started to cry. "It's okay, Raven," he said. She leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She nearly choked him, but he didn't mind. He held her close and sat up. She sobbed into his chest and he rubbed her back soothingly.

The other Titans saw that it was safe and went to her and Beast Boy. She was hysterical once again and in Beast Boys arms. He looked up at them, his eyes sad. "Guys, we have to stop this," he said almost in a whisper. They all nodded. This was getting serious.

Raven now wouldn't let Beast Boy out of her sight. He had proven to her that he would protect her from the voice and refused to let it take her over. Beast Boy had never been so counted on before. He liked it. For so long he had been like the little brother of the team. It was nice to feel like the protector.

"I don't know what's goin on inside of her head," said Cyborg. "Everything turned up negative and I couldn't find anywhere in her brain where this could be coming from. It has to be something psychological."

"This just doesn't make sense," said Robin. He was growing frustrated. "Why the heck would she hear a voice inside of her head for no reason? It's got all of the symptoms of schizophrenia without it actually being schizophrenia. I just can't understand it."

"At least she has found some comfort in friend Beast Boy," said Starfire.

"Yeah, she won't let him leave the room for a second," said Cyborg.

"And she has asked him to keep doing the chatting," said Starfire. "I believe it helps keep the voice away."

"Poor Raven," said Robin. "Of all the people in the world who would want Beast Boy to stay near her and keep talking, I would never have guessed it would be her."

"Yeah, she must really be sick," said Cyborg.

Raven couldn't stand being in the medical bay any longer and had convinced them to let her be in her room. It was obvious that nothing medical was going to treat her condition. Beast Boy had planed on sighting on the outside of her room, but she asked him to be right next to her. She was allowing him access into her room. _Her_ room. That was the moment that the Titans knew that Raven must have been suffering.

Beast Boy sat in a chair next to her bed. Raven was lying down and facing him, listening to every word he said. He went on and on about why video games are more than a recreational waste of time. Then he talked to her about how tofu was the food of the future and would someday save the world. Raven was actually happy to hear every word that came out of his mouth and she actually had a small smile on her face.

"… so, as you can see, that is why laughter is the best medicine," said Beast Boy taking in a deep breath. "Well I need to get a drink." He stood up and headed for the door. Raven quickly sat up.

"What? You're leaving?"

"Just for a second."

"No! You can't. It'll come back."

"But Raven my throat is completely dry," said Beast Boy holding his throat dramatically. "Can't I just get a cup of water from the bathroom?"

Raven sighed. "Okay, but be quick."

Beast Boy gave her a wink and ran out of the room. As soon as he left Raven felt scared. She knew that it was coming. She knew it would start up again. She decided that the best thing to do was talk to her self.

"It's okay. He's going to be back in a couple seconds. Nothing's going to happen. That voice isn't going to start talking to me again. I just have to keep talking. I have to keep my ears full of sound. Just keep talking. He's coming right back. You're not insane, there's just a disembodied voice living inside your head. Nothing out of the normal for you, right? Weird stuff happens to you all the time. Why? Because you're weird. No! Don't think like that. Positive thoughts. Just keep thinking happy thoughts. Jesus, I sound like I'm getting ready to fly with Peter Pan. Oh well. Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts. What the hell do I know about happy? No, stop thinking like that. Beast Boy, where are you? Please come back. Please come…"

Beast Boy entered with a cup of water in his hand. "Alright, I'm back."

"Thank Azar," she said with a sigh.

"Did you hear it?"

"No, I just kept talking to myself."

"Oh. Well, whatever works," he said with a smile. He sat down in his chair and took a long sip of his water, quenching his thirst. "So, what do you wanna talk about now?"

"Whatever's on your mind," said Raven with a smile.

'She sure is acting weird,' thought Beast Boy. 'Oh well, she'll probably never let me talk to her again after this. Just enjoy it while it lasts.' "Nothin's on my mind. I've used up everything inside of it. You think of something."

"Why don't you tell me the coolest thing that's ever happened to you," said Raven lying back down. She was starting to fall in love with his voice. His _voice_, mind you. She loved to close her eyes and listen to him talk.

"The coolest thing that's ever happened to me, huh?" Beast Boy thought for a moment. "Actually, and this is the God's honest truth, the coolest thing that's ever happened to me was when me and Cyborg went into your head."

"Really?" asked Raven quite surprised. "Why?"

"A number of reasons. For one, I'd never been inside another person's mind before. That was a strange sensation. Not to mention that it was _your_ head. All I knew about you at that point was that you liked to be alone and you never smiled or did anything fun. Then, when we were in your head, I saw all the other sides of you. I saw the Ravens that you couldn't be. I saw how sweet, funny, and strong you really were. I also never realized why you acted the way you acted, all numb on the outside. Once I saw the hatred part of you I finally understood. You gave up feeling anything to keep others safe. That really was the coolest day of my life. Not exactly the most fun, but definitely the coolest." He gave her a warm smile. She smiled back. It was one of those rare smiles. The kind of smile that you don't even know you're making until you see someone else smiling back at you because of it. God he loved her smile. It was a shame that she never used it.

"I just had an idea," said Raven sitting up.

"What?"

"Maybe I should take a trip inside my head. I might find some clue as to why I'm hearing this voice. Knowledge will probably know."

"Sounds like a good idea to me. Do you want me to stay?"

"Could you?"

"Of course."

Raven smiled again, she had been doing that a lot lately, and looked over to her burrow. "Could you get my mirror?"

"It's not going to suck me in again, is it?" he asked cautiously reaching for it.

"No," she said with a slight laugh. "It shouldn't."

Beast Boy grabbed it and handed it to her. For a second their hands touched and a spark was sent through their bodies. Not an electrical spark, but one of another sort. Raven held the mirror in front of her and closed her eyes. "Azarath… metrion… zinthos."


	6. Don't Listen!

Chapter 6

Raven opened her eyes and saw that she was standing on a large rock in the middle of nowhere. The sky above her was black with stars that glistened at her angrily. She was in her mind. She began to walk forward and as she went rocks formed under her feet, creating a path. She walked to the very center of her mind and once there she called upon her emotions. Slowly eight different colored cloaked Ravens appeared from the ground, rising up. Raven was happy to see them, but they did not seem to be happy to see her.

"Uh, hi everyone," said Raven unsure why they looked so cross with her. Even happy looked angry. Something was wrong. "Is there something I should know about?"

"I'm evil," said Timid.

"Excuse me?" asked Raven.

"I'm weak," said Brave.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, growing nervous.

"I don't deserve happiness," said Rude.

Raven looked at each of them and began to grow frightened. "What's going on here?"

"Everyone hates me," said Knowledge.

"Oh Azar, not in here," she said in disbelief.

"No one will ever consider loving me," said Affection. "Let alone consider kissing me."

"Stop it!" shouted Raven.

"No one trusts me," they all said at once. "They all have it out for me. They're just using me. I only inflict pain and fear. I don't deserve to live."

"Shut up!" she screamed covering her ears. "This is not happening. Not in my mind. This is a trick."

"Everyone tricks us!" they all screamed. The started to walk towards her, circling around her. "No one really means what they say. No one will ever love me. I'm an ugly, plain demon. I belong in hell, where I belong."

"Oh no, I have to get out of here," said Raven. She went to move, but the emotions enclosed all around her. She was stuck in the middle.

'_You know what they say is true.'_

The voice echoed through her mind. Raven looked all around her, expecting to see someone else. "No it's not, none of it is true," she said to the sky above her.

'_Even your mind knows it's true. How can you not trust your own mind? You are evil, you are a demon, you are being misled by everyone you know, and you can not hide from the truth of your existence.'_

"I am not listening to this any more," said Raven. She pushed past her emotions and started to run. She ran until she was far enough away to recite her words and get out of there. "Azarath…"

'_They are liars.'_

"…metrion…"

'_You are evil.'_

"…zinthos!"

'_And they know it!'_

Beast Boy was sitting in the chair next to Ravens bed, looking through one of her books. The mirror lay in the middle of her bed. Suddenly it flashed and spat out Raven. Beast Boy quickly threw the book to the side and pretended that he hadn't been looking at it. Raven fell on her back on the bed. She quickly sat up and kicked the mirror away from her.

"Are you okay?" asked Beast Boy.

"Get it away from me!" she said pointing to the mirror. "Put it away, I don't care where; just get it out of my sight." Beast Boy quickly grabbed it and threw it one of her drawers. He looked back at her and saw that she had her face in her hands, shaking her head.

"Raven, what happened?" he asked crawling onto the bed, sitting across from her.

She suddenly put her hands down from her face and grabbed his hands. He almost leapt back as she did this. "Beast Boy, do you think I'm evil?"

"What?" he asked.

"Would you ever lie to me?" she asked, her eyes pleading.

"Raven, what are you talking about?" he asked, concerned.

"Please, just answer the questions," she said, desperately. "Do you think I'm evil?"

Beast Boy looked deep into her eyes and said, "Of course not."

"Would you ever lie to me?" she asked.

"No," he said firmly. "What happened to you in there?"

Raven held his hands tighter and brought then up to her face. She bent her head and let her brow rest upon them. "It was so horrible. All of my emotions, they were saying everything that the voice was saying. And then the voice was there. It was so loud, so convincing. They were all around me, saying all those horrible things. They told me that I was nothing but an evil demon. They said that no one would ever consider loving me or even consider kissing me. They told me that everyone just lies and uses me. They keep telling me to kill myself, that my life is worthless."

"Raven, you are none of those things," said Beast Boy lifting her head and looking into her eyes. "You are not evil. You're only half of a demon and you never act upon that part of you. Your life is not worthless. We all love you and would never lie or trick you. It's this voice that's tricking you, just don't listen to it."

"I don't think I can anymore," said Raven as her eyes filled with tears.

"You have to, Raven," said Beast Boy still holding her face. "You have to fight it."

"I don't know how!" she said with tears streaming down her cheeks. "My mind has already been taken over; it's only a matter of time before it finally takes over me."

"No! I won't let it," said Beast Boy wiping away her tears with his thumb. "I won't let you be taken over by a stupid manipulating voice. I'm not going to give up on you, no matter how far this voice goes to destroy you." Raven broke down and wept. Beast Boy let go of her and let her crumple down onto the bed. She grabbed her blankets and cried into them.

"Darn it! I'm so sick of crying," she screamed into her bed. She sat up quickly and looked at Beast Boy. "I'm sick of doing this in front of you. I'm sick of completely breaking down like a weak child. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't." She fell back onto her bed and cried more.

Beast Boy had no idea what to do. Here was Raven, having a mental break down, and he was helpless to stop it. 'I don't want her to cry anymore,' he thought. 'I don't want her to hurt anymore. She's already been through enough in her life without this stupid voice bullying her around. Telling her to kill herself? That's totally unacceptable!'

"Raven, if you need anything, please just tell me," he said softly and started to rub her back. "I don't want you to feel alone."

She looked up at him and then slowly sat up. She was having lung spasms and her nose was running. Her eyes burned from all the crying she had been doing lately. The white surrounding her violet eyes were now red and made them stand out even more than before. Her lips were swollen, as well as her cheeks. Beast Boy gave her a weak smile and kept rubbing her back.

"Why do you want to help me?" she managed to say. "After all the horrible things I've said to you. After years of me repaying your kindness with sarcasm and coldness. How can you possibly consider me your friend?"

"Because I know that that's not really you," he said looking into her glistening eyes. "I know that underneath your sarcastic words and your annoyed personality lays the heart of a woman who would do anything for her friends; a woman who keeps everything inside just so others can express themselves. And if you never said anything sarcastic to me then I would never have a reason to improve my comedy."

Raven looked at him for a moment. "So… it's been a couple years. When _are_ you going to improve your comedy?"

He looked at her for a moment and then a large grin spread across his face. A smile appeared on Ravens face too and they both started to giggle. Beast Boy brought her into her arms as they both quietly laughed. "Now that's the Raven I know," he said. She laughed a little more and ignored the fact that the draws of her burrows started opening and closing from her powers. She loved to be held by him and he loved to hold her. Slowly she calmed down and started breathing normally, her tears had ceased to fall.

'_He's just going to use you.'_

Raven gasped and jumped backwards, out of Beast Boys arms. She felt her heart begin to race and her breath quicken. "Did you just hear it?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yes," she said scared.

"What did it say?" he asked.

"It said, 'he's going to use you'." Raven looked him straight in the eyes. "Are you?"

"What?" he asked shocked. "No! I'm not using you. I'm helping you. Don't believe a word it says."

"You're right," she said, nodding to herself. "You're right; it's just a stupid voice. A stupid, lying voice."

"Why did you almost believe it right now?" asked Beast Boy.

Raven paused and thought, but her mind went blank. "I don't know." She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "I think it's begun."

"What? What's begun?" he asked taking her hand.

"I think it's starting to take over me."

"No! No it's not," said Beast Boy. "Just remember that it wants to trick you. It wants you to fail. Don't let it fool you. You are strong, Raven. You are the strongest person I have ever met and that's not a lie. I would never lie to you. I would never use you. Never."

He looked into her eyes and she looked back into his. His eyes were like sparkling emeralds and were full of nothing but sincerity. She suddenly felt something odd creep into her stomach. Her heart rate quickened again as she became lost in his eyes.

Beast Boy was smiling, but it started to fade as he noticed how she was looking at him. He could feel his own heart begin to race as he became mesmerized by her violet eyes that were like deep pools that harbored the secrets of the world. Her world.

Slowly, as if by some other force, they two could feel themselves being drawn to the other. Their eyes no longer looked into the others, but no glanced down at their lips. As they moved closer and closer together Beast Boy could feel a shiver go up his spine. Raven felt it as well.

"Beast Boy?" she whispered as they still moved ever closer together.

"Yes?" he said softly, not breaking his eye contact with her lips.

"Would you… could you ever consider kissing me?" she asked and closed her eyes.

He closed his eyes and in a whisper said, "Yes." Then their lips met. A warm feeling spread through their bodies, like an electric shock. They felt as if they had left their bodies, that they were watching all of this from a distance. It just couldn't be real. But it was. And for once, for the both of them, reality seemed to be of heaven, not of hell.


	7. Decieved

Chapter 7

Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire were sitting in the common room, trying to think of what they could do for Raven. They had left her and Beast Boy alone, hoping that this would calm Raven down. She had been on edge for the past two days and they were worried about her mental being.

"There has to be something we're missing," said Robin. "A condition like this just doesn't appear for no reason."

"You've been saying that all day," said Cyborg.

"I know," said Robin with a sigh. "I'm hoping that if I saw it long enough I'll have an epiphany."

"There is still the theory of a Larry being in her head," said a hopeful Starfire.

"Starfire, if there was a "Larry" inside of Ravens head I would have seen it when I looked at her brain," said Cyborg. Starfire finally decided to give up on the idea. The three felt like they had reached a dead end. And they had.

The doors behind them swooshed open and Beast Boy entered. The three watched as he practically floated down the stairs into the room. He had a small smile on his face as he went to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Uh, hey Beast Boy," said Robin.

"Is Raven okay with you leaving her alone?" asked Starfire.

"She's asleep," said Beast Boy, his voice a little higher than usual.

"How's she been?" asked Cyborg.

"Nice," said Beast Boy pausing for a moment and staring off into space. The three Titans looked at each other confused. Beast Boy finished fixing his snack and headed back to Ravens room.

"Well… that was… strange," said Cyborg scratching his robotic head.

"He seemed quite… pleasant," said Starfire. "Perhaps Raven is getting better."

"I don't think so," said Robin. "He would have told us. But you're right. There's something weird going on."

"He looked kinda… loopy to me," said Cyborg.

"Please, what is this 'loopy', Cyborg?" asked Starfire.

"It means he's light headed, or kinda not in reality," said Cyborg, hoping that she would understand.

"Perhaps he has is ill as well," said Starfire.

Beast Boy sat next to her bed eating his snack. After their kiss they had gone through a slight awkward moment. Raven decided that she was very tired and would try to sleep. Once she had finally slipped into dreams Beast Boy decided to answer the call of his starving belly. Now he sat there, satisfying his hunger and watching Raven sleep.

She looked so peaceful when she slept. Her face was relaxed, something it had not done for a while. As he ate, Beast Boys own mind began to race. His own voice inside of his head wouldn't rest.

'What did we do? Was it alright to do? It felt right. Oh God, did it feel right. But Raven's not herself. I have to remember that. But she was the one who asked me if I would kiss her. If she didn't want me to she would have said so. But her mind is fragile, who knows if she's thinking straight or not. Even if it was a mistake, why did it feel so… nice. I've never really noticed how beautiful she is. It's hard to notice anyone's beauty when they're constantly covered up. Not to mention that fact that she's always tried to ignore me. I guess I've never gotten a good look at her. I do have to admit, I love the feel of her. I love holding her in my arms. The feel of her flawless, soft pale skin. The look of her violet hair that have a touch of ocean blue. And those eyes. I could look into her eyes all day. They seem to level me. I hope we figure out where this voice is coming from soon. I can't stand to see her like this anymore.'

As soon as Raven had fallen asleep she had entered a dream. She had been looking at Beast Boy, a warm feeling had spread all over her, and closed her eyes to rest. When she opened them she saw that he was no longer there, sitting next to her bed. She quickly sat up, very confused and looked around.

"Beast Boy?" She slowly crawled out of the bed and called again. "Beast Boy?" Her room seemed a little darker than usual, so she went to turn her light on. She flicked the switch, but nothing happened. She went to push her door open, but it wouldn't budge. She frantically tried to slide it (AN- I'm pretty sure her door simply slides) but it seemed to be part of the wall.

From behind her she heard someone move. She quickly turned around and looked around her dark room. "Beast Boy?" The sound of someone laughing quietly to themselves echoed through the room. Raven turned back to the door, but found that the door was gone. It was just a wall. She placed her hands on it and searched for any trace that the door might still be there. Her heart was racing and terror was slowly creeping into her body. "Someone help me!" she screamed at the wall. "Beast Boy! Robin! Cyborg! Starfire! Someone please help!"

'_They've left you.'_

"Leave me alone!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She pressed her back up against the wall and looked around her room that seemed to be getting darker.

'_I told you they would leave you once they were through with you.'_

"Shut up!"

From the opposite side of her room she could see a blackness creeping in. Not a darkness, a blackness. As if midnight was seeping into her room. It covered her bed and her ceiling and made its way towards her.

'_They've abandoned you. They know they can not help you. You are mine now.'_

Raven slid down the wall and curled up. She placed her hands over her ears as tightly as she could. "Don't listen to it. It's just lying. This isn't real. It doesn't exist."

'_If I'm not real than why can I touch you?'_

The voice was as clear as ever, even though Raven was protecting her ears. She looked up and saw the blackness reach out to her and touch her. The touch of it made her skin shiver and turn cold, yet at the same time burn. She was crying out of terror now and scrunched herself up as tightly as she could. "This… isn't… real… this… isn't… real…" she repeated to herself over and over.

'_Oh, I am very real my dear. Why do you doubt that? Can you not hear me? Can you not feel me? Do you not see the truth in the words I speak.'_

"You are a liar and I won't listen to you."

'_He said that he wouldn't leave you, but where is he now? He's just using you. He wants the use of your body, nothing more. Why do you think he was so quickly to answer you when you asked if he would kiss you? He will betray you, hurt you. They all will. They all will Raven!'_

Raven watched in horror as the blackness closed all around her and seeped into her. She had never felt so cold, so alone. She felt as if, at the same time, she was in the middle of a fire. She could see all of her fears in front of her, taunting her. She felt paralyzed and she welcomed death.

Beast Boy was leaning back in his chair, whistling quietly to himself. Raven had been asleep for about two hours. He had quickly run out and grabbed a few comics to read, but he had long since finished them. He hummed and rocked back and forth in the chair.

"Ahhh!" Raven screamed and sat up. Beast Boy was so startled that he fell backwards in the chair. He quickly got to his feet.

"What? What is it?" he almost screamed, as she had.

Raven looked at him and started to back away. "You! You left me!"

"What? No I didn't," said Beast Boy moving towards her.

"Yes you did!" she said, stumbling out of the bed. She quickly got to her feet. "You left me all alone and let the voice get me. You said you wouldn't leave me. You said you wouldn't let it get me."

"Raven I've been here the whole time," he said slowly and moved towards her still. But that wasn't true. He had to tell her the truth. "Okay, I did leave but just for like two minutes. I got myself something to eat and read. But that's it! You've been asleep the whole time."

Raven could feel her knees go weak. _'You see! I told you he would leave you, and he did!'_

"He did," said Raven softly to the voice.

"What?" asked Beast Boy.

"You did!" she screamed at him. "You left me! You broke your promise. Everything it's been saying is true. It's all true!"

"Raven…" started Beast Boy, but it was too late. A dark raven formed around her and she was gone. She had disappeared. "Oh no," said Beast Boy and he ran out of her room to tell the others.

"What do you mean she's gone?" asked Robin furiously.

"She's gone!" Beast Boy yelled. "She woke up, freaked out, and disappeared. I think it's finally gotten to her. We have to find her before she does something to herself."

"Why would Raven do something to herself?" asked Starfire.

"She's been saying that the voice is trying to get her to kill herself," said Beast Boy. "And now that she's starting to believe it she might do something to hurt herself."

"What!" screamed Cyborg grabbing Beast Boy. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"Because I haven't gotten a chance," said Beast Boy pulling away from him. "How am I supposed to give you an update when I can't leave her side at all?"

"Alright everyone calm down!" ordered Robin. "We have to find Raven first, we'll argue later. Now let's go." The other three Titans quickly agreed and they went off in search for Raven.


	8. All the Lies, All the Truths

Chapter 8

They searched the city from top to bottom, looking for any place Raven might have been. They asked if anyone had seen her, but no one had. Hours passed and there was still no sign of her. It was as if she had just disappeared from existence. Beast Boy was full of several different things as he looked for Raven. He was angry with himself for letting her down. He was angry at her for giving in. He was scared that they would never find her. He was nervous that they would find her but it would be too late. He was scared, most of all, that all he wanted to do was find her and hold her body close to him. To kiss her one last time. He felt as if he'd been put under a spell by that kiss they shared.

"Robin, we've searched the entire city," said Cyborg through his communicator. "She's not here."

"Then where else could she be?" asked Robin angrily. "She's mentally unstable and scared. I doubt she's going to get very far."

"Look, man, I can't pick her up on any of my sensors," said Cyborg growing frustrated with Robin. "If she was in the city I would have picked up on her by now."

"I believe Cyborg is right," said Starfire chiming in. "Raven must not be in the city, Robin."

Robin groaned and dialed in Beast Boy. "Beast Boy, have you found anything?"

"No," said Beast Boy with a sigh. "I've turned into every animal that can track and I still haven't found any trace of her."

"Well keep looking," said Robin. "Let's start moving outside the city. For all we know she could be back in the woods again."

The Titans made their way out of the city and began their search. It seemed hopeless. Night passed them right by and soon the dawning sun began to kiss the land. They were exhausted and still no closer to finding Raven. Finally they could go on no longer and headed back to the tower. They would not be able to help her if they were tired.

Then they heard it. A scream. Something, unfortunately, they were not surprised by. They had saved the city hundreds of times and it all usually began with a scream. They decided to quickly go check it out before heading home. What they found they had not been ready for.

"Come on, just calm down," said a police officer.

"No! You're just going to trick me," said Raven in a voice that bordered insanity.

"No one's going to trick you, miss," said another officer. "We just want to help."

"No one ever helps me without wanting something from me," she said and then tossed a car at them with her powers. "Just leave me alone!"

The Titans arrived and saw her. She was surrounded by all the police of the city. It looked as if she had been causing chaos. Many buildings were destroyed and she had even hurt a few police officers. The team quickly moved in and told the police to stand down.

"Are you nuts?" asked the chief. "This girl needs to be taken down."

"We know," said Robin. "And we're going to do it. Please, stand down."

The chief reluctantly told his men to stand down and they all backed off so the Titans could move in. Raven was walking around aimlessly, talking to herself. Everything around her was melting with a black aura.

"Everyone just wants to hurt me. They just want to use me. Nothing is what it seems. I am nothing but a tool, a device used for others own purposes. I can't let them use me any more. I can't let them trick me. Everything that comes out of their mouths are lies. They don't care about me. I know they don't." As she walked and talked the Titans followed her until she finally turned around.

"Easy Raven," said Robin. "We're here to help you."

"You!" she screamed. Her eyes turned back and she threw a truck at them. They quickly ran out of the way and let it hit a building. "Why can't you leave me alone!"

"Raven, you are not well," said Starfire. "Please, let us help you."

Raven grabbed her head. "Lies, lies, lies! All you've ever done is lied to me!" She sent a blast of her black energy at them and knocked them over. Once they were down she took off into the air.

"Follow her!" ordered Robin. Starfire and Beast Boy took off after her while Cyborg and Robin followed on foot. Raven was all over the sky. She seemed to move with no true direction. The morning sun was just ahead of her and blinded her eyes. She paused for a moment in the air. She was dizzy and her mind was racing. Suddenly she felt something tackle her and bring her down onto a roof. Beast Boy changed back to himself and held her down.

"Raven it's me," he said as he pinned her to the cement roof. "Don't listen to it Raven, it's just trying to trick you."

Ravens eyes turned back and she blasted Beast Boy off of her. "You're the ones who have tricked me. If anything, I should stop listening to you!" She felt the presence of someone behind her. She put up a shield behind her as Starfire attempted to bring her down with starbolts. Starfire landed and let her hands stop glowing.

"Friend, I do not wish to harm you," said Starfire in a pleading voice.

"Harm me? Harm me! That's all you've ever done!" Raven sent a blast of energy at Starfire and it knocked her down. "All this time I thought you were my friends. All this time I thought that you were telling me the truth and that this voice inside of me was false. But now I see truth, the horrible truth! You all have blinded me with fake friendship and trust just so you could use me. Telling me that I wasn't evil. Well guess what? I am! I am a demon and that is something I can never hide from. It's something that I can't lie about any longer. I won't allow you to use me any more. So just leave me be!"

She attempted to fly off again, but Beast Boy grabbed her from behind. She screamed and tried to fight him off, but he held on as tight as he could. Robin and Cyborg burst onto the roof. They saw Starfire lying on the ground, still groggy from the blast Raven had given her. They saw Beast Boy holding Raven and her struggling to get free a few feet in front of them. They saw Ravens eyes turn black again, but before she could do anything Cyborg quickly jumped on top of her and injected a tranquilizer into her. She pushed both him and Beast Boy off of her with her energy. She was seething mad and took off into the air as fast as she could. She only got a few meters away when she felt her body start to go numb and her mind grow hazy. She tried to maintain her place in the air, but couldn't. She passed out and dropped from the sky.

"Oh no!" cried Starfire as she watched her dear friend fall.

Beast Boy had just enough time to stand up and see that Raven was going on. He turned into a pterodactyl flew after her. He grabbed her shoulders and flew her back to the other Titans. He laid her down and then changed back. She was out.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Cyborg.

Raven felt like she was spinning. She opened her eyes, but could not focus. She felt like she was going to be sick. She could not move; every part of her body seemed to be elsewhere. Slowly everything was coming into focus. She was in a white room, a bright white room. She was lying on something soft. She also noticed that she appeared to be on the floor of the room. She found her strength returning to her and she attempted to sit up. But she could not move her arms. They were crossed on her chest and that's when her worst fears were confirmed. She was in a straight jacket. She was in a cell.

'_I told you they would do this to you.'_

Raven started to cry.

'_Now you'll never get out. They've got you right where they want you.'_

"I've got to get out of here," she said quietly to herself. She wriggled her way to the wall and sat up. "Azarath metrion zinthos!" she said and waited for the walls to break apart. But nothing happened. She said it again. But her powers did not come.

Suddenly one of the walls to the room began to move up. Under the padded wall was a window that moved into place. Raven saw five figures standing on the other side. Her four former friends and a doctor. The Titans looked upon her with sadness in their eyes. She saw only hate for them.

"What have you done to me?" she screamed.

"We've neutralized your powers," said Cyborg.

"How?" she demanded.

"There's a device upon your head that has stopped them," said Starfire pointing to her own head to show her.

Raven had not noticed. She slowly stood up, using the wall to support her, and she looked in the reflection of the window. There was a device upon her head that centered on her temples.

"Get this off of me!" she screamed walking towards them.

"We have to find out what's wrong with you," said Robin.

"You're what's wrong with me!" she screamed and slammed her head against the window. The Titans jumped back as she repeatedly slammed her head against the window. The doctor quickly summoned his large male nurse helpers who entered the cell. The grabbed Raven and pinned her to the floor. The doctor quickly injected her with another tranquilizer. Then they ran out of the room. Raven twisted around on the floor, and then finally passed out once more.

The doctor met the Titans on the outside of the room. They were staring at the unconscious Raven who lied upon the padded floor. They never thought that they would have to take such measures to help, nay, save her.

"Is she going to be alright?" asked Robin.

"Hard to say," said the doctor cleaning his glasses. "I've never heard of a case like hers. I'm not going to lie to you; I may not be able to help her."

"We never really thought you could," said Cyborg sadly. "We just need her to be safe from herself and others."

"Well, as long as that device is on her head we should be able to handle her," said the doctor.

"That's all we ask of you," said Starfire giving him a hug.

They looked at Raven once more before leaving. She was crumpled up on the ground like a rag doll. They longed to know what was going on inside of her mind. They longed to know where this voice was coming from. They hated seeing her tied up in a straight jacket and placed in a cell. But that was the safest place for her. They said goodbye to the doctor and watched as the window lowered and the padded wall returned.


	9. I'll Miss You

Chapter 9

Days passed and still they were no closer to finding out what was wrong with Raven. They visited her every day, but it did not make them happy to see her. She was no longer even a shadow of who she used to be. She screamed at them when she saw them and cursed them. She tossed herself against the window and tried to break free. She had a black eye from one of the male nurses who was trying to hold her down. They watched helplessly as she plunged into a deeper and deeper insanity.

None took it as hard as Beast Boy. He had not told his friends about the kiss they had shared or about the feelings he was starting to have for her. He felt his heart break whenever he saw her. He kept telling himself that this wasn't Raven. But the horrible fact of the matter was that it was. It was Raven and he was powerless to stop it.

Two weeks passed and Raven had finally calmed down. The problem was that she was too calm. She would just sit in the corner of her cell, silent. When the Titans visited her she just stared at the wall and didn't even acknowledge them. She even had a team of doctors who specialized in odd and rare psychological cases, but none could figure out what was wrong with her. Beast Boy just couldn't take it anymore. He had to talk to her, try to get through to her.

"You'll be watched at all times," said the doctor as he and Beast Boy stood outside of Ravens cell door. "She really can't do any harm to you, but if you feel threatened just call out."

"Okay," said Beast Boy. He was a little nervous. The other Titans didn't know that he had come to see Raven, to talk to her. The doctors thought that it might be a good idea, since she hadn't communicated with anyone in almost a week.

The doctor unlocked the door and let Beast Boy in. As soon as he stepped through the door was shut and locked. Beast Boy had requested that the window not come up and they simply be watched through the cameras. So now it was just he and Raven, in the white padded room.

She was sitting in the left corner of the room. One knee was up while the other stuck out straight in front of her. Her arms were still wrapped around her, of course, and her head was pressed against the wall. She had a blank look on her face as she stared at the adjacent wall. Beast Boy slowly walked over to the wall she was staring at.

"Hi Raven," he said softly. She didn't respond. He sat down and moved so that he was right in her eye sight. She was now looking straight at him, but that didn't mean she was actually looking at him. Her eyes were blank, as if there was no one home. "I just came to see how you were doing." He waited to see if anything would change in her face. Nothing. "We miss you. We really do. The tower's just not the same without you, you know?"

The silence in the room made Beast Boy shiver. He hated silence. With a passion. He wanted her to say something, even if it was insane babble. Just to hear her voice.

"I know that you think that all we ever did was lie to you. I know that you think that we used you. I know you think that I abandoned you and never cared about you. But the truth is, Raven, that the only person who is lying to themselves is you."

Raven slowly blinked her eyes, as if she was in a trance.

"I know that deep down in your heart you know that everything that voice has said to you is a lie. But I also know that listening to your heart has never been easy for you. And I'm afraid that if we don't figure out what's wrong with you soon then we never will."

Beast Boy could feel tears welling up inside of him. He felt his throat begin to swell and rip and his lips quiver.

"God, I would do anything to make you well again." The tears fell and he was now sitting across from her, sobbing. "I would do anything to hear one of your sarcastic comments. To have you make fun of me. To be stricken by one of your icy stares. I miss the way you would call me childish and immature. I miss how angry you would get when I interrupted your meditation. But the plain fact is that I just miss you."

Beast Boy cried and wiped his tears away with his sleeve. He had never felt like this before. He wasn't sure what he was feeling so strongly for Raven at that moment, but it was not something that could be ignored. His heart longed to know that she was going to be okay. But his brain knew that the chances of ever getting Raven back were too slim.

Raven suddenly shifted her eyes. She was now looking Beast Boy dead on. He did not notice since he was crying into his shirt. "You miss what I used to be," she hissed angrily.

Beast Boy looked up immediately and saw her looking straight into his eyes. Her eyes were no longer the soft, pools of wisdom and beauty. Now they spat hatred and burned Beast Boy to his core.

"Yes, I do miss who you used to be," said Beast Boy, almost defeated. "Because it was _that_ Raven who had so much potential. She had a life to live. But you're not her, not anymore."

"And I never will be again," growled Raven. And with that she shifted her body around so that she was staring straight into the corner. Beast Boy couldn't stop crying now. He was never one to really weep, but this situation called for it. It was official, he had lost her. He had broken his promise, just like the voice said he would. He let it take over her and now she was gone forever, lost in a whirlwind of insanity that was destroying her.

Beast Boy stood up and wiped his eyes once more. "I just thought I should tell how much we're going to miss you," he said, trying to sound like he wasn't crying, but failing. "You're a beautiful, wonderful person Raven, who is surrounded by people who love you. I only wish that I could show you that. And no matter what you think, no matter what that voice tells you, you will always have a special place in my heart. So that even if you are stuck for all eternity dwelling into the insecurities of your mind, you will always live on… in me. Because a world without you, Raven, just isn't a world I think I can live in." He started to sob again, but headed for the door. He knocked upon it and the doctor let him out. Raven never turned out of the corner.

The doctor met him on the other side of the door and handed him some tissues. Beast Boy managed a thank you and wiped his eyes and running nose. He tried to stop his sniffling, but he found it very difficult.

"Just remember that she doesn't mean any of the things she says," said the doctor in a comforting tone.

"I know," Beast Boy managed to say.

"She's just very sick," said the doctor.

"I know," said Beast Boy again. He did know. There was nothing new. He had spent countless nights researching mental diseases until morning. He had barely gotten any sleep. But he was still in the dark. Raven was seemed incurable. Yeah, he knew.

"Will you be returning tomorrow?" asked the doctor.

Beast Boy paused for a moment and thought. Then he looked the doctor in the eye and said, "No." The doctor sighed and nodded. It was clear that he just couldn't do it anymore. He had said his good bye. He couldn't bear to see her after that. So he shook the doctor's hand and headed home.

Beast Boy decided to walk home. He needed time to think. It was quite possible that he would never see her again. Not in the flesh, at least. It was like she had died all over again, like when her father came to end the world. He had suffered many loses in his life. The tragic death of his parents. The loss of his first love, the traitor Terra. And now Raven. The girl who was so independent. The girl who feared her emotions. The girl who chose to trust him above everyone else. Above the leader of the team. Above the living robot. Above her best girl friend. She had chosen him to protect her. And he let her down.

Suddenly his communicator went off. He opened it up and saw Robin's face. "Beast Boy where are you?"

"Just taking a walk," said Beast Boy, hoping he wouldn't notice that he had been crying.

"We've got a robbery in progress," said Robin quickly. "Here are the coordinates." Beast Boy saw where it was and headed off. No matter what was going on in their personal life, the city still needed saving. Life goes on, whether you want it to or not.

Beast Boy reached the store that was being robbed and saw that the other Titans had just arrived as well. He joined them and they waited for them to exit the building. A familiar black clothed thief took a step out of the building.

"Mind Mover," said Robin in a growl. They remembered this guy.

Mind Mover gave them a swift evil, smile. "One, two, three, four… it appears that you are missing your team witch. So, who do I take down next? She was easy enough."

"You did not defeat our friend," said Starfire angrily. "You retreated after you found that you were too equally matched with her. But we know that she would have defeated you if you had stayed."

"Retreated?" he laughed. "I did not retreat. One does not "retreat" after a victory. They simply leave."

"What victory?" asked Cyborg. "Man, we just told you that you didn't beat Raven."

"Then where is she?" he asked, his smile never leaving his face.

"That's none of your concern," said Robin.

"Let me guess. She's all tied up in a white room."

The Titans couldn't believe what he had said. How did he know? Or was he bluffing?

"Why do you say that?" asked Starfire.

"Because that's where you end up when you're insane, of course. Surely you must have noticed that she is no longer mentally stable. One of my better talents, I must say."

"You did this?" asked Beast Boy shocked. Then a rage built up inside of him that he had never felt before. It coursed through his veins and made him feel as if he was burning. "You did this!" Beast Boy lunged at him. Mind Mover simply yawned and put a hand up. The invisible barrier was back and it stopped Beast Boy.

"Titans go!" screamed Robin.

They hit the barrier with everything they had, but just as before, it could not be breached. Beast Boy wanted to kill him. He wanted to send him to the hell that Raven was living in. So he decided to do bring out a side of him he only used in dyer situations. The Beast.

Once he had transformed the other Titans made sure to stay away from him as they fought. Beast Boy wasn't exactly himself when he was the Beast, so there was a chance of getting caught in the crossfire. The Beast looked for any possible weakness in the barrier, but could not find one. Then an idea struck his brain and he disappeared.

Mind Mover was getting quite bored as the Titans attempted to touch him. He picked up his bag of goods and started to walk away. The Titans followed him, but they could not get any closer to him. They couldn't let him get away. He knew how to help Raven. He was the one who had poisoned her mind. He had to be stopped.

"Well Titans, it's been fun, but I believe my stay in your city is over," said Mind Mover with his wicked smile.

Suddenly the ground beneath Mind Mover exploded and the Beast burst from the ground. He had gone into the sewer and came up underneath him, where he knew Mind Mover would not protect himself. Before he could lift a hand the Beast grabbed him and threw him against a building, knocking him out. The Beast hovered over his unconscious body for a moment, growling.

"Beast Boy!" screamed the other Titans before he could do anymore. The Beast turned towards them and growled. "He's down, man," said Cyborg. "You can turn back now."

The Beast looked back at Mind Mover and then sighed. Slowly he shrunk and transformed back into Beast Boy. Turning into the Beast always took a lot out of him and he almost collapsed as he came back. Starfire helped support him so he wouldn't fall over. They had gotten their man, and now it was time to get back their girl.


	10. Manipulating the Manipulator

Chapter 10

Mind Mover groaned. His whole body ached and his head was spinning. He opened his eyes and saw four figures looming over him. As his eyes focused he saw that it was four Titans. Four very angry looking Titans.

"Oh good, you're awake," said Robin coldly.

Mind Mover attempted to raise his arms, but he noticed that they were tied to his chest. He tried to use his mind, but nothing happened. He was powerless. Now he knew he was in trouble.

"Do not try to use your powers against us," said Starfire harshly.

"What have you done to me? Why do my powers not work?" asked Mind Mover angrily.

"We've neutralized them," said Cyborg. Mind Mover noticed that there was a strange device on his head. "Trust me, you're not going anywhere."

"And where am I exactly?" asked Mind Mover.

"The same place you've sent my friend," said Beast Boy grabbing his shirt. Robin placed a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. Beast Boy reluctantly let him go and stepped back. He was so full of hatred and rage. He wanted nothing more than to gut this waste of a being. But they had questions that needed answering. Revenge would have to wait.

"What exactly did you do to Raven?" asked Robin.

Mind Mover said nothing, he only smiled. They had hoped that he would cooperate. But it was apparent that he wasn't going to talk without a little persuasion.

Robin leaned in close to Mind Mover and said through his teeth, "What did you do to Raven?"

"Take a wild guess," he said smugly.

Robin sighed angrily and backed away for a moment. He looked at Cyborg and gave him a nod. Cyborg nodded back and went over to the thief. Out of his arm popped an electric prod. Robin made Starfire look away as Cyborg jabbed Mind Mover with it. He gave a scream of pain and then Robin went back over.

"Are you ready to talk to us now?"

"Why?" asked Mind Mover wincing from the pain, but still smiling. "Is she starting to take a liking to the voice in her head?"

"Why you…" yelled Beast Boy and pounced at him. Cyborg caught him before he reached Mind Mover and put him up against the wall. "Let go of me! I'm gonna kill him!"

"Calm down, man!" yelled Cyborg. He wasn't trying to yell at him, just trying to calm him down. Beast Boy knew this, but he was still struggling to get free. "We've got to get answers first." Beast Boy looked at Cyborg and knew that he was right. So he took in a deep breath and calmed himself down. Cyborg released him from the wall and went back to Mind Mover.

"Okay, if you're not going to tell us what you did to her, then tell us how to stop the voice in her head," said Robin.

"You're too late," said Mind Mover. "She's far too deep into the process now; there is no coming back from where her mind is."

Starfire got a starbolt ready and grabbed him. "You will stop playing the games with us and tell us how to help her now!"

"I'm not playing any games," said Mind Mover angrily. "What I did to her mind is something that can not be simply reversed."

"Then what do we do?" asked Cyborg. "Tell us exactly what you did to her."

Mind Mover paused for a moment. Cyborg lifted his hand and showed the electric prod again. "I tapped into her subconscious and, let's say, planted a seed of doubt within it. It gave all of the insecurities she ever felt a voice. One voice, actually. At first it only appears when her mind was calm. But as it progresses and digs deeper into the nucleus of her mind it takes on a life of its own. Once it actually reaches the very center of her mentality the affects are permanent."

"And how long does that usually take?" asked Robin.

"I don't know," said Mind Mover. "It's different for everyone. It depends on the person's mind. Her mind may have already succumb, it might not have. There's no way of knowing. And before you even ask, no, there is no way to stop it. The only way to actually reverse the process would be to go into her subconscious and drive it out. So unless you have a way of getting into her mind, I suggest you accept the fact that your friend is gone."

They would have killed him right there, but then they realized. They did have a way to get into her mind. Her mirror!

"How would one drive the process out?" asked Robin.

"What are you talking about?" asked Mind Mover almost angrily. "I told you, you can't stop it unless you can go into her mind."

"We have a way to go into her mind," said Starfire. "Now tell us!"

Mind Mover sighed. "I highly doubt that you do, but I'll humor you. The only way to drive this "voice" out of her mind is to best the voice and prove it wrong."

"So, all we have to manipulate the manipulating voice?" asked Cyborg.

"Exactly," said Mind Mover. The Titans gave a small smile and headed out the door. "Hey, where are you going?"

"We've got a friend to save," said Robin. This left Mind Mover quite confused. They locked the door of his cell and went off to get Ravens mirror. It might have been too late, but they had to try. There was still a chance.

The mirror still lay in the draw where Beast Boy had thrown it. He retrieved it and brought it out to the others.

"Alright, so all we have to do is go inside and convince the voice that it's the liar, right?" asked Cyborg.

"Right," said Robin.

They held the mirror in front of them and got ready to enter Ravens mind, but the alarm went off.

"Darn it!" they all said at once. They checked the scanners and saw that the Hive Five were attacking the mall.

"We can not just let the Hive of Five attack the mall," said Starfire. "We must stop them."

"What about Raven?" asked Cyborg.

"You guys go, I'll go in," said Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy, I'm sure if…" started Robin.

"Look! I'm the one who promised Raven that I wouldn't let her be taken over by the voice. I'm the one who promised her that I would protect and never leave her alone. If anyone is going to prove that stupid voice wrong it's me," said Beast Boy in a strong voice. They had never seen Beast Boy like this, so… serious. So sure of himself.

"Okay, we'll be back as soon as possible to help," said Robin handing him the mirror.

"Good luck, man," said Cyborg.

Starfire gave him a tight hug and said, "I wish you luck."

"Thanks guys," said Beast Boy. He sighed and then held the mirror in front of him. A large black claw reached out and dragged him in. The Titans put the mirror on the table and headed off to stop the Hive Five.

Beast Boy landed on a rock in the middle of what looked like space. He remembered it well. He hadn't made a very smooth landing. He was on his back and could feel the rocky terrain underneath him. He slowly stood up and rubbed his sore back. He looked above him, expecting to see a black sky and stars, but instead he saw thick storm clouds. Lightning was brewing and thunder was rumbling. He didn't remember this.

"Hello?" he called. Suddenly he heard rocks lifting from nowhere and forming a path in front of him. He followed it and hoped it would take him to where he needed to go.

The Titans took the Hive Five down in less than twenty minutes. There was minimal damage and the Titans felt quite annoyed. They made sure to let the Hive Five know just how annoyed they were. They knew they wouldn't be hearing form _them_ for a while.

They started heading back to the tower when Robin's communicator went off. He opened it and saw that it was the doctor from the institution. He had given him a communicator, incase of an emergency.

"Robin, this is Dr. Zinnerman."

"Is something wrong?" asked Robin nervously.

"Raven's been transferred to Jump City Hospital."

"What? Why?"

"When we checked her vital signs this morning she passed out. We took her to the infirmary and it looks like… her… her brain is failing. We transferred her, but they can't seem to figure out why this is happening."

"Wait a second, what do you mean by 'her brain is failing'?" asked Robin.

"We don't think her brain is going to hold out much longer, Robin. You should get down here." Robin closed his communicator and they made their way to the hospital.

The clouds above curdled together and tried to intimidate Beast Boy. But he didn't care. He wasn't about to let clouds scare him away. He kept walking. As he walked he started to pass through each of the emotions' homes. He passed through Happy's land and saw that it was dark and gray. He saw her and was scared by what he saw. She was simply lying on the ground, looking up at the sky. She looked to be dying. He forced himself to look away and continue on. He passed through Timid's home and saw that nothing had really changed, except it was even sadder than before. Then he went through Brave's land and found her weak and propped up against a wall. Every emotion that he passed seemed to be fading, dying. He knew that he was either too late or very close to.

He could tell that he had arrived at the center of her mind by the storm clouds above him. They swirled and almost looked as if they were about to descend into a tornado. He looked up into the eye of the storm and saw a small patch black with red stars.

"Hey you stupid voice!" he called out. "Where are you?" The clouds above him seemed to grow darker and meaner. "You said that I would abandon her, but I haven't. You said that I would hurt her, but I'm not. I'm here to save her. What do you have to say to that?"

'_She is mine!'_

"There you are you coward. She's not yours! She'll never be yours. You said that I don't care about her. Then why am I here?"

'_You just want her back to use her powers.'_

"I want her back because she's my friend!"

'_You don't care about her, no one does.'_

"I care about her most of all! Try to prove me wrong, I dare you! If I didn't care about her than why did I kiss her?"

'_You were using her.'_

"For what purpose? I have my own powers and abilities, I don't need hers."

'_Then you were just using her body.'_

"She wanted me to kiss her! How can you say that no one cares about her? Here I am, inside of her mind, trying to help her. Face the fact, you stupid voice, you're wrong!"

'_I am never wrong!'_

"Oh really? Well tell me this then, oh wise voice. You say that I have been using Raven, right? What have I used her for? At what point did I use her to gain anything?"

The clouds above lightened ever so slightly. The voice had not quickly responded and this gave Beast Boy a burst of confidence.

"What? No come back? Can't you prove me wrong? I never did use Raven, did I? I never gained anything by using her and manipulating her. You did that! You're using her and trying to kill her, not me! Now get out of her mind!"

'_You're just trying to manipulate her, just like I've been telling her all along.'_

"You're right; I am trying to manipulate someone. But I am trying to manipulate you, not her! This whole conversation has been between me and you, pal! You're the one who's been using Raven. You! Not me. That means you're wrong, voice! You are wrong! You… are… WRONG!"

The sky above gargled and seemed to descend upon Beast Boy. But he did not cower as he would have in a moment like this. He would usually have fallen to his knees and covered his head. But no, not this time. He clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and let the sky fall on him. For a moment he could feel a coldness that he had never felt before. It bit him and made him want to scream with pain. But he didn't. He let the pain run through his body. And then it was gone. The cold, the pain. He opened his eyes and saw that the clouds were gone. The black sky was above him once more. Suddenly a large black claw grabbed him and threw him into the sky. A portal formed in front of him and he was sucked in and out.


	11. Saved

Chapter 11

After some tedious paper work the three Titans made their way into the hospital to see Raven. She was lying lifelessly in the bed, tubes coming out of every part of her. She wasn't even breathing on her own anymore. Starfire began crying immediately. Cyborg remembered what it was like to be in her situation. And it wasn't fun. Robin's heart sank.

They sat beside her for a while. This was it. This was the end. Her brain was dying from all it had been put through. Beast Boy must have been too late. They just hoped he would get out in time. Before she… passed.

"I wish for Raven to be well again," said Starfire through her tears.

"I… I don't think she's going to be well again, Star," said Robin bringing her into a hug.

"Man, I hope BB's okay in there," said Cyborg checking all of her monitors.

"What will happen if he does not come out of Raven's mind when she…" said Starfire, unable to finish the sentence.

"He may become stuck in there," said Cyborg. "Raven said that it could happen when we first went in."

"We can only hope," said Robin.

Suddenly all of the monitors began to race and beep quickly. Starfire gasped and Robin jumped up. Cyborg checked everything and he looked scared.

"Cyborg, what's happening?" asked Robin.

Before Cyborg could answer, all the monitors stopped their beeping. Except for one beep that drew on and on. It was her heart monitor… and it was flat line. Starfire turned away and wept. Robin sat down in the chair and rested his head in his hands; his elbows were on his knees. Cyborg hung his head and closed the monitors that were in his arm. The sound of the beep echoed through the room.

"I guess that's it," said Cyborg sadly.

Robin slowly stood up and placed his arm around the sobbing Starfire. "Come on, let's go. We still have to see if Beast Boy got out in time."

They took one last look at Raven and sighed. She finally looked at peace. They turned around and headed out of the door.

Beast Boy flew out of the mirror and landed on the kitchen floor. He really needed to work on the landings, his back was bruised enough. He slowly got up and looked around. He was back in the tower and the mirror was on the table. Had it worked? Was Raven okay? He whipped out his communicator to see if the others had defeated the Hive Five.

Beep… beep… beep…

They couldn't believe what they were hearing. It took all of their courage to turn their heads around once more and glance into the room. All the monitors were working… normally. Her heart, her brain activity, oxygen, it was all working. It was all alive.

"No… way," said Cyborg, saying what they all were thinking. Just then they heard a small jingle from Robin's belt. Robin took out his communicator and opened it up.

Beast Boy waited nervously for Robin to pick up his communicator. He figured that they might still be fighting the Hive Five. Suddenly Robin's face appeared.

"Beast Boy?"

"Uh, hey Robin."

"You got out! He got out," Robin called to the others. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm not sure. We'll have to check on Raven."

"We're with her right now."

"You are? How is she? I'll be right there."

"Okay, but we're at the hospital."

"What! Why are you at the hospital?"

"Just get down here!"

"Okay, I'm on my way." Beast Boy closed his communicator and headed off for Jump City Hospital as fast as he could. He didn't know why Raven would be at the hospital. His heart hoped for the best but his mind could only think of the worst.

He ran part the doctors and nurses and ran to the desk asking where Raven was. The nurse gave him the room number and he ran as fast as he could. He arrived at the room and saw his three friends inside and a couple doctors. He opened the door and saw her lying in the bed.

"What happened to her?" asked Beast Boy fearing the answer.

"Beast Boy!" said Starfire happily. "You have done it!" She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as tight as she could.

"Star… please… stop… can't… breath," said Beast Boy. She released him and he almost fell to the floor. He slowly got to his feet and asked, "I did it?"

"We think you might have," said Robin with a smile.

"I've never seen anything like this," said the doctor stunned. "Everything's fine. Her vitals, her brain, everything! I… I can't believe it."

"Why's she here in the first place?" asked Beast Boy.

"She was dying, man," said Cyborg. "Actually, to be honest, she did die. Her heart stopped, her breathing stopped, her brain activity, everything."

Beast Boy felt sick for a moment and his knees go weak. "She… she died?"

"Yeah, but she seems fine now," said another doctor. With that the doctors did one last check and then left the Titans be. She was breathing on her own now and so there were far fewer tubes in her than before.

"I… I can't believe she actually died," said Beast Boy sitting in a chair next to her bed.

"Yean, but you saved her BB," said Cyborg.

"He's right, Beast Boy," said Robin. "You did it."

Beast Boy felt proud, but still sad. He wouldn't be happy until Raven woke up. He needed to know if he really had done it. If he had actually gotten rid of the voice. He looked up at her and saw her squint her closed eyes. For a moment his heart stopped. Then she started to stiffly move her head. Beast Boy jumped out of his chair and moved closer to her. Then slowly her eyes fluttered and opened.

The lights around her were bright and it hurt her eyes. She was confused. She wasn't sure where she was or was standing next to her. All she remembered was plunging into darkness and then the sound of someone's voice bringing her back. A familiar voice that had wrapped around her and drew her back from the abyss. Slowly her eyes focused and she saw who was standing over her. It was him. The owner of the voice.

"Beast… Beast Boy?" she asked; her voice raspy and weak.

"Hi Raven." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

The other Titans gathered around her bed and she slowly recognized each of them. Each had a smile on their face, and even tears.

"How ya feelin?" asked Cyborg trying to put up a strong front.

Raven thought for a moment. How did she feel? "Good. I feel… good."

"That's nice to hear," said Robin.

"Oh Raven I am most happy to see you alive," said Starfire leaning in to hug her. Raven looked at her frightened, knowing how strong Starfires hugs could be. The boys held her back.

"I think she's a little too weak for hugs right now," said Robin quickly.

"Oh, I am sorry," said Starfire. "But Raven, it is wonderful to see you awake."

Raven was allowed the next evening. She missed the tower and wanted to go home so badly. Unfortunately, Robin was right about her being weak. She was very weak and could barely stand. She had refused to eat while she was in the institution and had lost a lot of weight. She had been thin before, but now she was down right skinny. Beast Boy noticed the change right away when he picked her up and helped her to her room.

After a "Welcome Home" party and a song and dance of happiness performed by Starfire, Raven was finally allowed to go to sleep in her own bed. But she did not fall asleep right away. She lay there for a while, thinking about everything that had happened.

Beast Boy lingered outside of her door, wanting to go in. He wanted to be alone with her, to talk to her. He went to knock on her door.

"Beast Boy?"

He hadn't even knocked and he heard her voice call his name. It startled him, but at the same time sent a spark through him. God he loved hearing her say his name. He opened the door and poked his head inside.

"How'd you know I was out there?" he asked.

"Lucky guess," said Raven with a small smile. "I would really like to talk to you."

Beast Boy entered and closed the door behind him. He sat down in the chair that still sat next to her bed. The chair he had sat in when she was plunging into madness. His heart began to race, and he didn't know why. Raven sat up and patted her bed, letting him know that she wanted him to get on the bed. He slowly got up and crawled on to it.

"Beast Boy, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all you did for me," she said sincerely.

"Hey, what was I gonna do?" said Beast Boy with a smile. "You needed a friend and I'm a friend."

"You have no idea what you did for me," said Raven feeling tears welling up into her eyes.

"So… what was it like?" asked Beast Boy hesitantly.

"Hell," said Raven simply. "Pure and simple hell. I was so scared. I truly felt like the world was against me. It was such a horrible feeling. But something you said really hit home for me. You said that in my heart I knew that the voice was lying. And you were completely right. It was like I was in the backseat and the voice was driving. I had no say in anything I did or said. And as the voice took full control I felt like I was falling into darkness. And then, for a moment, I felt everything end. The darkness took me. And then there was a light."

"You saw "the light"?" asked Beast Boy shocked.

"No," said Raven with a smile. "Beast Boy, you were the light. You brought me back. I heard your voice calling for me. I heard you arguing with the voice in my mind. That's what saved me. You're what saved me. You kept your promise. If it wasn't for you I would have died."

Beast Boy could feel himself tear up as Raven cried in front of him. Her violet eyes streaming. He had thought that he would never see those eyes again. But there they were, right in front of him, beaming. The spark was back behind them. The wisdom. The beauty.

"Well, technically you did die," said Beast Boy looking away from her. He had started to blush and he really didn't want her to see.

She grabbed his face and pulled it back to look at her. "That's not the point! The point is that you saved my life. You didn't give up on me." She wrapped her arms around him and brought him into a hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Beast Boy grabbed her and held her as tight as he could. He noticed how small she had really gotten. She was crying on his shoulder and holding him tighter than ever.

"I would do anything for you Raven," said Beast Boy softly.

Raven released her grip on him and lifted her face to his. She cupped his face and started to kiss him with all of the passion she could sum up into her being. Beast Boy was shocked for a moment, but quickly closed his eyes and kissed her back with just as much passion.

'Oh God I love kissing her,' thought Beast Boy.

'I love kissing you,' said Ravens voice inside of his head. He loved hearing her voice inside of his head. But just her voice. None other.

**The End**

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